Ɛpsilon

To ‘Bronsomerulay’ Frazier   [2 November 1877]1

Sir—

I can assure you that I have felt deeply the honour, which the student at Univ E. have wished to confer on me by unanimously agreeing to propose my name as Lord Rector; & I shall ever remember this, their act with extreme pleasure, & all the more from having myself been a student at E. for 2 years.—2 I hope that you will express my feelings to the other students— But the state of my health renders it absolutely impossible that that I shd accept the honour, as I cd not withstand the unavoidable [excitement] & fatigue.—

Again tendering my heart-felt thanks | I remain Sir | Your ever obliged servant | C. D

Draft

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the telegram from ‘Bronsomerulay’ Frazier, [2 November 1877], and by the fact that the telegram was quoted in the Scotsman, 3 November 1877, p. 9 (the Scotsman is a morning paper).
2
Frazier had asked CD to allow his name to be put forward for the post of lord rector of Edinburgh University (telegram from ‘Bronsomerulay’ Frazier, [2 November 1877]). CD had been a medical student at Edinburgh University between 1825 and 1827 (Correspondence vol. 1, Appendix I).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Sir] above del ‘Gentlemen’
1.1 Univ] interl pencil
1.2 have] pencil below interl ink & del pencil ‘unanimously’
1.2 unanimously] interl
1.2 agreeing to propose] pencil above del pencil ‘proposing’
1.3 extreme pleasure] pencil above del pencil ‘deep satisfaction’
1.4 I hope … students 1.5] interl pencil
1.6 that I … not] interl
1.6 withstand] after del ‘I could’
1.6 unavoidable] added below added & del ‘necessary’
1.7 [excitement]] pencil above del pencil ‘excitement’
2.1 Again] after del ‘consequent on the acceptance of the office.—’
2.1 Sir] pencil after del pencil ‘Gentlemen’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11225,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11225